Benny's Choice
by Marie S Zachary
Summary: When Benny discovers he is HIV and has a baby on the way he makes a desperate decision? What is that choice and is it the right one? Told half in poetry and half in story form. Rated T for character death


Disclaimer: I don't own Rent

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Alison was so excited one day when she came home

Benny woke up and found her jumping for joy

He smiled when he saw his wife

She made him feel like a schoolboy

The test is positive, she said

We're starting a new part of our life

Benny groaned to himself but showed joy to his wife

He just couldn't tell her though he knew she had to know

Things we never be how they were once upon a time an long ago

As excited as Benny was about the new baby coming grief struck into his heart. Benny had woken up feeling sick one day. Several weeks before that he had gotten drunk and slept with a prostitute. Now Benny had found our that he had HIV. He couldn't tell Alison. But they hadn't had sex in 3 months which was when the baby must have been conceived. He made excuses... saying he was tired or not feeling well but he could no longer play that game. He had to do something about it. Alison would start to ask questions. He knew what he had to do.

"This is so exciting," he told her kissing her, "Oh Alison I love you so much. I can't believe we're about to have a new life... and hopefully a boy."

"What do you have against girls," she demanded.

Benny assured his wife he had nothing against girls

If he had a daughter he would want her to be like Alison with perfect little curls

But he didn't know the proper way to bring a daughter up

With girls you must be gentle but with boys it's okay to be rough

Alison informed him that no matter what they got

Gentle parenting would be the way they did it like it or not.

When April killed herself it sent Roger into a tailspin. Benny couldn't do that to Alison. He had to find another way to die. He couldn't do that to the baby. Alison would be a great mom. She would raise the child on her own and love him... or her like no other. The child would never know from the heartbreak of losing his or her father. Who could he get to murder him? Mark? No. Mark couldn't harm a fly. Benny had seen Mark get mad and it was unbelievable; literally nobody could believe it. How about Roger? No that wouldn't work either. There was really only one person he could think of. THE MAN. He would do anything for money. He went down and talked to THE MAN.

"You want me to kill you and make it look like an accident," THE MAN exclaimed.

Benny nodded.

"Thousand bucks"

Benny worked hard all throughout the week

He was so tired sometimes all he could do is sleep

Finally he earned a grand and more

The rest went to Alison but now he wasn't so sure

If he did this would he go to hell

Better him then the poor baby as well

That night he went to church and prayed

That his past sins were already paid

Then he went to see the man

And put the money in his hand.

Alison got a phone call. She was told to come down to the hospital right away. She followed the request and soon was there.

"Mrs. Coffin," the doctor said, "I don't quite know how to tell you this but I'm afraid I have some bad news. Your husband had an accident. We tried to revive him but we couldn't."

At that moment Alison's world fell apart.

...

Up in heaven Benny felt like he was in hell watching Alison suffer but he knew that he had to do this. The baby didn't need to lose his or her father. He could only be alright after Alison was alright. Months passed and on December 24th Alison gave birth to a beautiful baby boy that she named Benjamin Coffin the Forth. When she looked into her son's eyes she saw her husband.

Now Benny would always be with them

Like a flower he was the stem

He kept them safe throughout the night

For Allison he was a guiding light

He was so proud to see his son

A tiny baby too just 5 pounds 1

Alison sometimes felt Benny there

But when she'd turn he'd disappear

He knew they would join him in heaven one day

But that wouldn't be for a long time and far away

His son would grow to be a man

And never know the hurt of a loss you cannot stand


End file.
